ing on a consistent and robust arrange- ment. Tester input resulted in numerous improvements including a means to bypass incorrect holdings locally to place a request, scope for addition of library request tracking codes and flexibility to support different emails for the return of the article.
One of the participants commented “It was great that the task and finish group comprised of predominantly library assis- tants, … ] [I feel like we picked up on the small things that could easily have been overlooked without the testers.”
INCDocs in practice and numbers INCDocs was launched in May 2023 with wide adoption (see picture one). Accessed via a web interface, the requesting KLS team enters a DOI or PMID for the item required. An initial check is made against their own holdings and the Third Iron knowledge base of open access articles. If the article is avail- able immediately then a link is provided that can be shared with the user or a copy of the article downloaded for supply. From launch to November 2024 a total of 16,602 open access articles were identi- fied by the DOI lookup and 28,971 articles that were available in local collections resulting in rapid supply and staff time saved.
Errors in the DOI/reference are readily spotted ahead of submission of request, preventing delays and work for the receiving library trying to locate incorrect references.
If no immediate copy is available, then the holdings across the NHS in England are checked and a random holding library is identified (see picture two). Selecting a random library spreads the load and is building contact between services across the country who might not have interact- ed regularly previously.
The request is received as an email that includes all necessary details and a
Picture two
Picture one
link to INCDocs . The supplying library is presented with a link to the article, a mailto: button for a prepopulated email to return the file and a drop down to confirm completion or decline the request with a reason if there is an issue. Time required is minimal and analytics are captured for the interaction.
While the system records the requests it does not replace local systems for the overall management of document supply (see picture three). In the event of a declined request a new random library can be sought or the request can be sent to an alternative source.
The first month saw 2,021 articles supplied. Completed items rose rapidly topping 6,000 per month in October 2024 and 88,114 cumulatively by the end of No- vember 2024. There was growth of 40 per cent in the number of items supplied for June to November 2024 versus the same period in 2023. The ongoing increase in usage of what might be viewed as a previ- ously mature service offer is likely a com-
bination of more requests being satisfied without going to a paid source and rising usage for an enhanced service.
Implementation driving improvement The creation of INDocs carried a one-off development cost alongside an existing contract with the supplier but it has delivered a range of positive benefits in financial and quality terms. At the heart of the development of INCDocs is the effective reuse of data (see picture four).
The implementation of INCDocs shone a powerful light onto the quality of the holdings data. As library subscriptions change errors can creep in amongst thousands of journal titles. The receipt of requests that a library cannot supply is a powerful prompt to check why they were incorrectly selected.
The early months of INCDocs saw high numbers of declined requests due to holdings issues with a significant number of corrections swiftly following. Frequent updates in this period drove the need for Third Iron to have more current holdings information. Third Iron accelerated work to move from monthly to weekly updates greatly reducing the potential for errors to persist.
The combination of increased scrutiny and frequency of updates to the Third Iron database means improved perfor- mance for INCDocs – but vitally this directly benefits NHS staff and learners. Where once they might meet broken links without necessarily having the time to flag these for correction they can be increas- ingly confident of an immediate link or rapid request process. They may also find articles immediately available that were previously missing due to incorrect link resolver data.
Improvements to speed of processing positively impact user experience. User requests from within our systems passing through a standard ILL requesting form
18 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL Spring 2025
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